Tuesday, May 9, 2017

My daughter Jenny sent me this soup recipe this past winter and we have had it at least twice a month all winter long. It has become one of our very favorite soups EVER! It is a hearty soup full of yummy healthy things and is very easy to make. We love this and hope you will enjoy it too!

8-10 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
(I use Kirkland Five Cheese Tortellini refrigerated pasta from Costco and LOVE it!!! They are
bigger than the frozen ones. It comes in a double pack and I use half of one of those packs for this soup -so the package has enough for a total of 4 batches - freeze the rest for later use)

DIRECTIONS

1.Remove the casings by slicing down one side of the sausage
and peeling the casing back from the sausage. In a large pot, cook the sausage
over medium heat until it starts to brown, using a wooden spoon to crumble as
it cooks. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Continue cooking until the onions
are translucent and the sausage is cooked through. Drain any excess grease, if
needed (alternately, if your sausage is extra lean, you may need to add a
drizzle of olive oil to keep it from sticking).

2.Stir in the chicken broth, apple cider, diced tomatoes,
tomato sauce, carrots, oregano, and basil. Bring the soup to a simmer, cover,
and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in zucchini and parsley simmer for 10-12
minutes. Add the tortellini and cook until tender (usually only a couple of
minutes, even when the packages call for 7-9 minutes cooking time, I only cook
the tortellini for 4-5 minutes so it doesn't fall apart). Serve immediately
with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

We had our annual family Christmas progressive dinner this week. I had appetizers at my house and found this cute idea on Pinterest. I adapted it to our liking and I think it turned out kind of fun! Fresh rosemary between the layers gave it a festive look and smelled really good! Just thought I would share this simple idea! Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

My daughter-in-law Estee sends me recipes from time to time when she finds a good one that she thinks I will like. She knows me SO well! She sent me this one and I loved it! It has such a yummy flavor and the fresh lemon juice just kicks it up a notch. It cooks up quickly and I love how the vegetables aren't overcooked. I also love how the orzo thickens up the soup nicely. I am excited to have a delicious new soup recipe. Thanks Estee!!

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to the stockpot and cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in thyme and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in chicken stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

This is a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. I made it for my family, and now, both my daughters have made this same recipe for their families! It has the most heavenly aroma that just screams Fall to me! I SO love this!

Monday, May 23, 2016

I love love LOVE grilled shrimp! I have been on a grilled shrimp roll lately, having it for Sunday dinner probably 4 out of the last 6 weeks! I have struggled finding a good place to buy shrimp (being I'm in Utah) and have found that frozen shrimp is just great and I bought mine at Costco - raw, deveined and peeled with the tails on. I buy the size 31-40 per pound. I put the frozen shrimp in a ziploc bag the night before and stick them in the fridge and they are thawed and ready to go the next day. I have used metal and wood skewers, and I think I like the wooden ones best. You can soak them in water for an hour before to help them not to burn, but I forgot to do that yesterday and I just filled the skewers right to the ends and they did just fine. Enjoy!!

Thread the thawed shrimp onto wooden skewers and brush melted butter over one side of the shrimp. Sprinkle lightly with the seasoning. Place skewers seasoned side down onto hot grill and then brush the other side with melted butter and sprinkle with seasoning. Cook until pink and char marks are golden brown. Flip and cook until done (about 3 minutes per side).

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

My husband and I have been on a 100 day weight-loss challenge associated with his work. We have been trying to find yummy low-calorie recipes, and I found this one in a new cookbook by Our Best Bites - 400 calories or less. This is a quick and easy omelet that has incredible taste. It is also a perfect meal for one person (which I had while my husband was out of town). The soft creamy cheese is delightful! We have had it once a week since we found this recipe :) It has only 202 calories and 20 grams of protein!

Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray. Immediately add egg mixture and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Use a rubber spatula to gently scrape from the outside edge of the omelet inward, letting runny eggs flow to open spaces on bottom of pan, moving around the pan several times.

Cover the pan and turn heat to medium-low. Cook until top of omelet is almost set, about 2 minutes (I found mine set much quicker than that!) Drop small dollops of the soft cheese on top, along with 1 TBSP of Parmesan. Add chopped spinach, artichoke hearts, and the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Cover pan again and cook until top is set and cheese is melted. Slide onto serving plate either folder over or open-faced. (I added chopped fresh tomatoes on mine for a little extra yumminess!)

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Because our traditional Christmas Eve plans changed this year, we tried to come up with a new idea for a meal that seemed fun and something the grandkids would enjoy. We decided to try a waffle and pancake bar with lots of toppings. It seemed like a good idea, but after the holiday was over, we decided that we definitely didn't need to add more sugar to our diets at Christmas time! We will have to come up with a new plan next year. (if any of you have a fun dinner for Christmas Eve - I would love to have you share!)

My daughter-in-law Estee was helping with the meal and she had this wonderful recipe for a healthy pancake that was DELICIOUS! It has whole wheat flour and oatmeal that make it substantial but they are still light and fluffy and really good! Thanks Estee!!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

My husband found a recipe in the Costco Connection magazine (of all places!) that looked good. I tweaked it to make it a little healthier. It was VERY quick and easy and tasted really good. We loved the different textures and it was a nice change from plain old tacos. Yummy!!

Monday, June 30, 2014

This recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine. Our grand-kids really like Jello with our Sunday dinner, so when I saw this recipe, I wanted to give it a try. I would say it is more of a dessert than a salad, but it is really quite yummy! When I served it, I used an ice-cream scoop, and it gives it a fun look. It is quick and easy to put together-using a blender for part of it. A fun new thing to try with Jello!

1. Microwave 2 cups soda on high 1-2 minutes (I did it for 3 to get it hot enough) or until hot. Place hot soda and gelatin in a blender; cover and process until gelatin is dissolved. Add cream cheese, process to blend.

2. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in chilled soda. Whisk in whipped topping. Pour into a 3 qt. bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 hours or until firm.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

This isn't really so much a recipe, but a new way to make tacos that we REALLY love! I replaced hamburger with ground turkey - (which you can't tell the difference once you have added the taco seasoning.) I replaced the regular tortillas with a new 100 calorie/ high fiber tortilla that is really good! It is made by Mission and is an Artisan tortilla -the one I tried and liked is Corn and Whole Wheat Blend. (there are other flavors, such as blue corn/flax seed, and another one I can't remember right now) The tortilla is soft and has almost a nutty flavor. I heated the tortillas in a dry pan for a few seconds on each side. Top with avocados, tomatoes and cheese - SO good!

Saturday, November 30, 2013

When our oldest daughter Jenny got married, her husband's family had a reception in Oregon at their home for the newlyweds. Jake's aunts (called "the Sistahs") did all of the food. It was amazing! My favorite thing was the vegetable tray. Oh my goodness! It was SO beautiful! It totally changed my way of looking at a vegetable platter. I have made it for 4 or 5 parties and it is always has a big WOW factor. The colors of these beautiful vegetables are so beautiful together.

These two pictures are of the finished basket. I took the lower picture before we took it to the gathering, so I hadn't put the dip in the cabbage yet, but the lighting was better. You can see all of the different vegetables we put in: carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, english cucumbers, green onions, red/orange/yellow peppers, radishes, and a purple cabbage dip bowl - all on a bed of kale. (the "Sistahs" also put blanched asparagus on theirs and it was delicious - but it was a little expensive right now)

This picture shows the basket (I line it with plastic wrap first) with the kale arranged to cover the bottom. It took about 3 bunches of kale to do this basket- which is a large basket. In the center is a small purple cabbage that we scooped the center out of to make a bowl to put the dip in. (you can cut the bottom of it to make it sit flat if needed)

We found that an ice cream scoop works wells to scoop out the cabbage.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

My daughter-in-law Estee told me about this recipe for roast and self making gravy. She said it is a combination of our family's tradition of using Lipton Onion Soup mix in the crock pot to cook our roast, and her family's use of Cream of Mushroom Soup to cook her roast in. She combined them and voila! - perfect tender roast and delicious gravy without any work at all!

Easy Crock Pot Sunday Roast and Self-Making Gravy

from Estee

3-4 lb beef chuck roast

1 pkg dry Lipton Onion Soup mix

2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 cup of water

Brown the roast in a very hot frying pan with a little olive oil. Let cook until the meat forms a nice dark carmalization, then flip it over and do the same on the other side. Place the meat in a crock pot. Combine the dry soup mix with 1 cup of water. Add the two cans of cream of mushroom soup and stir to combine. Pour over the top of the meat and turn crock pot to low and cook for 7-8 hours. When finished, remove the meat to a serving plate, and pour the gravy into a gravy boat and it is ready to go! (I like to put a little A-1 sauce in the gravy to give it a little more flavor) How easy is that!!!

Monday, October 21, 2013

We had our annual Dutch Oven Dessert party this past weekend. We make the SAME dessert every year- but it is SO very easy and always turns out great and is very popular. It is a nice variety to add to all the fruit cobbler desserts that dutch ovens seem to lend themselves to.

This is what the finished product looks like - topped with yummy toasted marshmallows.

You can stack dutch ovens and share the coals.

Here is what it looks like after the chocolate chips and coconut are added, just prior to the marshmallows being sprinkled over the top - to toast and melt. MMMMMMmmmmmm!

Dutch Oven Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Cake

1 box of chocolate cake mix of your choice (I used triple chocolate) -mixed as directed on the box.

1 bag milk chocolate chips

1/2 bag sweetened flaked coconut

3/4-1 bag miniature marshmallows

Line a 14" dutch oven with heavy duty foil and spray with PAM. Mix chocolate cake according to directions on the box. (when doing this camping, I put all the ingredients together in a gallon zip-loc bag and smoosh them for 2 minutes) Pour cake batter into the bottom of the dutch oven. Put lid on and put 12 hot coals spread out under the dutch oven, and 16 coals on top. Cook for about 20 minutes - checking after about 15 minutes. The cake should bounce back in the center when done. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and coconut over the top of the hot cake. Now pour a layer of miniature marshmallows over the top of the chips and coconut. Move the dutch oven off of the bottom coals, but leave the top coals on. Keep an eye on the marshmallows - it is done when they are toasted to a beautiful golden brown. Shake the top coals off and the cake will stay warm inside the hot dutch oven for quite a while. It is definitely best when eaten warm! The foil makes for a quick and easy clean-up!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

My wonderful friend Debbie has made this for many occasions that I have been to - and I can't get enough of it! It is the kind of thing that you want to lick the bowl when you are done because you want more! We served this at a bridal shower at my house yesterday. It is creamy and delicious and the fresh fruit is such a great compliment with the rich velvety cream. You MUST try this one! Thanks Debbie!

Bavarian Cream

from my friend-Debbie McAllister

1 cup sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

½ c hot water

Mix together and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Add:

2 c unwhipped heavy cream

2 c sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Refrigerate in a covered bowl for at least 6 hours and serve in individual cups with a sprinkle of
brown sugar, strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries. (or other berries of your
choice!)

Monday, July 15, 2013

We love grilling anything on a cedar plank! The yummy smokey flavor is unbeatable and the meat cooks up so moist and juicy - without burning and without having to flip the meat over. We wanted to cook some salmon for our Sunday dinner and I found a yummy rub that was delicious!! It has smoked paprika - which gives everything a smokey flavor. This, added with the smoke of the cedar plank, makes it SOOO good and it was SO easy!!

The salmon was moist and flavorful

This is a picture of the salmon cooking on the plank. You can see how the brown sugar melted into a yummy glaze

1 cedar plank, pre-soaked in water (about 4 hours) (I also buy these at Costco - they come in a pack of 6, but I have heard that you can also just go to a lumber yard and buy untreated cedar planks and cut them!)

1/2 c brown sugar

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning

1 Tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1.Preheat gas grill

2. Place the pre-soaked cedar plank on the grill grate for 5 minutes.

3. In the meantime, combine brown sugar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika and Kosher salt in a small bowl.

4. Rub the mixture over the top of the salmon filet (the side the skin was not on)

5. Place the prepared salmon onto the cedar plank, what would have been the skin side down.

6. Grill for 30 minutes, or until salmon turns light pink in color and is flaky. (My salmon was thinner and cooked in about 8-10 minutes, so watch carefully - you don't want to overcook it)

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

I have been trying new recipes, but haven't loved any of them enough to put them on my blog. This one, my husband and I decided, was blog worthy! It is a very healthy version of Chicken Alfredo - using Greek yogurt, chicken broth and skim milk to make the sauce. I used the easy way and bought a deli chicken instead of grilling it, and I steamed my broccoli instead of roasting it. It was very good, but now I want to try it her way - I'm sure it has a richer flavor. Very yummy and easy!! We will be having this again for sure!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Our daughter-in-law Aubrey made these last night for our Sunday dinner dessert. Oh my goodness! These were some of the best things I have ever eaten! They were heaven. Not overly sweet. I loved the mix of chocolate, caramel and toasted coconut - mmmm! I highly recommend these. Thanks Aubrey!

This recipe uses a mini bundt cake pan (as seen on the right)and makes 2 dozen

In a large bowl, beat together cake mix, water, oil and eggs
on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl
occasionally.

Pour batter evenly into prepared Bundt pan cups. Bake cakes
until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

Remove cakes from oven; cool 10 minutes, then invert onto a
cooling rack. Using the back of a spoon, poke a few holes in the top of each
cake, being careful not to poke all the way through the bottom. Carefully pour
about a teaspoon of caramel sauce over the top of each cake; let cakes cool
completely and caramel soak in.

Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a large bowl, cream
together butter and cream cheese. Add caramel sauce and powdered sugar; beat
until smooth. You may need to add more powdered sugar to get the correct
consistency for frosting.

Place chocolate chips in a small, microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave 30 seconds, then stir; melt another 10 seconds at a time until chips
are fully melted. Pipe melted chocolate onto cakes in lines so they look like
Girl Scout Samoa cookies.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

I found these two recipes on Pinterest and combined them for our dinner last night. It was heaven! I think it would make a wonderful Easter Brunch item. The mixture of toasted coconut, creamy coconut syrup and the contrast of the sliced fresh strawberries were SOOO good. Loved it!

Coconut Crusted French Toast

From "Two Peas & Their Pod" {with my notes added in italics)

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

3/4 c lite coconut milk

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 c shredded sweetened coconut

6 slices of french bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I just used Texas Toast)

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, coconut extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Place the shredded coconut on a plate. Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the egg mixture. Dip both sides of the coated bread into the shredded coconut. (I tried it this way and thought it was too much coconut ~I didn't think that was possible!~ I liked it better with only one side dipped in the coconut).Drizzle a little of the egg mixture on top of the coconut to make it stick to the bread.(I found this step is important because it protects the coconut from burning too easily)

2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan or a griddle to medium to medium-high heat. Cook the slices of bread until golden brown on one side and then turn and cook the other side. Serve immediately or keep French toast warm in a 250 degree oven.

Place butter, buttermilk, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute.

Remove from heat and add baking soda and extract, stirring constantly. It will bubble up, so if your pot is small, hold it over the sink to avoid spillage. Continue to stir syrup and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Serve over almost any breakfast food: waffles, pancakes, French toast, crepes,. etc.

Pour pineapple with the juice into a large bowl. Stir in the dry instant lemon pudding and stir until pudding is dissolved and starts to thicken. Stir in oranges, marshmallows and coconut. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more. Stir in bananas right before serving.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

My sister Barb served this fun drink at our family Christmas Progressive Dinner and also at a shower. For Christmas she had red sugar around the cup with the lime drink, and today for the shower she used hot pink sugar. The darling purple striped paper straw topped it all off. SO CUTE!

Fun and Festive Drink Idea

Corn Syrup
Colored Sugar
Lime Sherbet (or any flavor you like)
7-Up

Dip just the rim of a clear plastic cup in corn syrup (pour some in a bowl), then dip in colored sugar.
Mix 1 quart sherbet with 1 2-liter bottle of 7-Up in a punch bowl, breaking the sherbet up into small pieces.
Serve and enjoy!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

This recipe is from my friend Debbie - who is a wonderful cook! She served this at a bridal shower years ago and I loved it. I loved it even more when she told me how EASY it was to make! I made it for a shower today, and enjoyed it once again. Delicious!!

Easy Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Rice

1 Bottle of Classico Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce

1 Bottle (fill the empty Spaghetti Sauce bottle) of Heavy Cream

1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

a pinch of sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cooked White Rice

Combine all ingredients except the rice. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until hot but not boiling.

To serve - put a large spoonful of rice in the bottom of the bowl and add soup. Enjoy!

Monday, October 8, 2012

I wanted to find a new apple crisp recipe for my parents' combined birthday party last week. My sister-in-law made a chocolate dessert and I was supposed to make a non-chocolate one. I came across this recipe that used a yellow cake mix, which I have used before in a crisp recipe and loved, but this one also used oats, brown sugar and other things along with the cake mix. It turned out really good! I just made it again last night for our big family Sunday dinner. It is the perfect fall dessert - served hot with vanilla ice cream - MMMMMM!

Place apples in a greased 2-1/2 qt shallow baking dish (I used a 9X13 pan). In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt; sprinkle over apples. Drizzle with water. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oats, butter, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. (I used my *clean* hands to mix the butter in, mashing the butter into the dry ingredients between my fingers). Sprinkle over apples.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream. Yield: 8 servings

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

I saw a show on BYU TV called the Food Nanny and she helped a young couple who were very busy - find a healthy dinner option that is quick and easy (it takes about 15-20 minutes!). I wanted to try it. I couldn't find the exact recipe, so I sort-of made this up from what I remembered and what sounded good to me. It was WONDERFUL! My husband said that it was one his favorite dinners that we have had this summer. It was a perfect dinner-salad, and the dressing recipe is from Alton Brown and is very low fat and delicious. We will be having this once a week until our cherry tomatoes freeze I think!

Salt and pepper the steak and grill until still slightly pink in the middle. After flipping the steak the first time, sprinkle crumbled Gorgonzola cheese on top and let melt into ooey- yummy goodness (this step is optional if you are not a fan - but I highly recommend it!) Let the steak rest about 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.

Mix the salad greens, tomatoes, toasted almonds and avocados pieces together. Put onto plates and top with pieces of the sliced steak. You can also add more crumbled Gorgonzola if you would like (we did). Drizzle the honey-mustard dressing over the top and enjoy!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

This recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine. It is included with a chicken tostada recipe - which is basically just a tostada shell, rotisserie chicken, beans, lettuce, queso fresco cheese, then topped with this salsa. The tostadas were ok, but the salsa was AMAZING! I loved the addition of avocados, and the lime juice makes it taste so fresh and light! Yummy!!! I think it would be good on all kinds of things - even just with tortilla chips as a dip. With fresh tomatoes coming on - I will make this one a lot this summer. Give it a try!

Avocado Tomato Salsa

from Cooking Light Magazine

3 TBSP fresh lime juice

1 1/2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 c chopped tomato

1/2 c chopped white onion

1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, peeled and diced

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add tomato, onion, cilantro, and avocado; toss gently to coat.

Monday, July 30, 2012

My cousin Cathy used to bring a pie similar to this each Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. This is the Lion House version. I made it this week for our book club and remembered how yummy it is! It's rich and creamy and chocolaty and the toasted almonds make it REALLY delicious!! It's kind of like a s'more pie when made with a graham cracker crust. SO GOOD!!!!

MMMMM!

I don't have a double boiler - so I just put a stainless steel bowl over the top of a pan with an inch of water in the bottom. It works great!

I garnished the finished pie with some grated dark chocolate and some of the toasted almonds.

Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. almonds should be light golden brown. Remove from oven. Be careful not to overcook; almonds will continue to brown after being removed from the oven. (note: since my oven was being used to bake my crust, I toasted my almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat - stirring carefully - it only took a few minutes.)

Place the chocolate bar, half-and-half, and marshmallows in the top of a double boiler and heat until chocolate bar and marshmallows are melted. (*See note below) In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff; fold cream and almonds into chocolate mixture. Pour into crust and refrigerate to cool. When cool, place in freezer. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving. Makes 1 pie.

NOTE: This recipe sounded to me like you fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream while it is still hot - which I did on the first go-around. It immediately melted the whipped cream and turned soupy. I tried it again on the second pie and let it cool to room temperature before I folded it into the whipped cream and it worked much better.

Graham Cracker Crust

from America's Test Kitchen

1 1/4 c graham cracker crumbs (about 8 whole crackers)

5 TBSP butter, melted

2 TBSP sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Toss the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar together thoroughly with a fork. Pour crumbs into a 9 inch pie plate. Using the bottom of a measuring cup-press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and side of the pie plate. Bake until the crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 -20 minutes. The pie crust may be cooled completely or used warm, according to the particular pie recipe.

Monday, July 9, 2012

We recently had some friends over for dinner and they brought this delicious Blueberry Jello salad. I couldn't get enough of it! It was different than the regular Jello you normally have and SO good. It was almost like a dessert. Thanks for the new idea Royene!

Blueberry Jello Saladfrom my friend Royene

1 6 oz pkg of black cherry Jello (I couldn't find it in the big box, so I just bought 2 of the small boxes)
1 15 oz can Oregon Blueberries in light syrup (undrained)
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple (undrained)
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 8 oz sour cream
1/2 c sugar (this makes it really sweet, almost like a dessert. I tried it the second time with 1/4 c and it was good too)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

This recipe comes from Cooking Light Magazine and is under the Super Fast 20 minute cooking section. I am always looking for quick dinners. This was a REALLY good one! We loved it. I love the small grape tomatoes - they are bursting with flavor. I have a basil plant in my garden that provided the beautiful and yummy garnish. I have to admit that this is the first time I have ever tried using shallots. They were yummy sauted in with the balsamic vinegar! This was a quick and delicious way to serve pork chops.

According to Taste of Home magazine, this recipe comes from Hawaii. Huli means "turn" in Hawaiian. These were very flavorful. The marinade is very close to the Barbecue Glaze I put on my Cedar Plank Pork. Thighs are such a great cut of meat to grill - they don't dry out like the breasts do.

In a small bowl, mix the first six ingredients. Reserve 1 1/3 cups for basting; cover and refrigerate. Divide remaining marinade between two large resealable plastic bags. Add 12 chicken thighs to each; seal bags and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I was looking through new recipes to try to find something using chicken. I came across this recipe that used sage. I planted a sage plant a few years ago and it is getting HUGE! It keeps coming up year after year and needs no care. (I highly recommend planting one!) We loved this dinner and it is really quick and easy! The sage flavor is reminiscent of Thanksgiving turkey - and the lemon juice brightens it all. mmmmm!

Place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or a gallon zip-lock bag -open ended), pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, coat with cooking spray. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan, saute for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan.

Add butter and sage sprigs to pan; cook over medium heat until butter browns. Discard sage. Add shallots and thyme; cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice, cook for 30 seconds (scraping up all the good browned bits on the bottom of the pan). Serve with chicken. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

This has got to be one of the quickest and easiest dinners ever! It has great flavor combinations and textures. It is a wonderful summer alternative to hamburgers. Using rotisserie chickens sure save a lot of time! I'm all for quick and easy.

Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones. Stir together apple, cucumbers, green onions, and mayonnaise. In a large skillet, heat chicken, mustard, vinegar, honey, and 1/4 c water, over medium-high, tossing to combine, until warmed through, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide chicken mixture among buns and top with apple-cucumber slaw.

Monday, March 19, 2012

My daughter tried these and said she loved them, so we made them for our big family party this past weekend. Oh my goodness-they are delicious!! They are a low-fat version - because they are not fried, but when you bake them, they still come out crispy. The dipping sauce is over-the-top yummy! I highly recommend you make the sauce with these. All the adults agreed that this was a keeper. (the kids saw the green stuff (onions) inside the taquitos and wondered!) I have been dreaming about them ever since we had them - oooh they are good!

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the
fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are
soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper
towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when
you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try
the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it
about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking
sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly
with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start
to get golden brown.

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime
in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro
and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to
taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

I found this recipe in "Our Best Bites" cookbook and thought it looked good. I haven't cooked with curry very much, so I wasn't sure how it would taste. My husband and I both loved this recipe! It is kind of like chicken fingers for adults! (I'm sure kids will like them too!) What great flavor - the coconut and curry with the yummy dipping sauce - it was a hit!

Chop coconut so it's roughly the same size as the bread crumbs (I used my food processor)

Combine the coconut, bread crumbs, and spiced in a shallow dish. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly distributed.

Place the flour in a shallow dish and the eggs in another shallow dish. Whisk the eggs.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge the chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip in the egg, again shaking off any excess. Roll in the bread crumb/coconut mixture, gently pressing the mixture onto the chicken. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken tenders.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear, being careful not to overcook them. If the tenders are smaller, the time might be closer to 15 minutes, whereas if you have larger tenders, it could take closer to 25 minutes, so keep a close eye on them. Either way, the coconut and bread crumbs will be lightly golden brown and crispy.

Monday, March 5, 2012

I got this recipe from my friend Melinda. It is so easy and fabulous tasting! It has great flavor and the croutons make a yummy topping. I love how easy it is to make. It would be a good recipe to make when you are entertaining because it can all be put together and in the oven with no last minute things to do. Thanks Melinda - once again you gave me a winner!

Pour olive oil into bottom of a 9X13 pan. Add garlic and swirl it around to coat bottom of pan. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes (to taste). Lay the chicken breasts in the pan. Cover with the sauce. Sprinkle on the basil. Top with half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan. Spread the croutons over the top, then add the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

What I Believe

About Me

I am the mom to four wonderful children who all married VERY well and I am the grandmother to 15 of the world's cutest, smartest, most wonderful children on this planet! I LOVE my wonderful husband of 39 years and I love my life.

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